OAKLAND, Maine (AP) — Police officers and game wardens found no sign of missing toddler Ayla Reynolds during a search of woods Wednesday, but law enforcement officials said they weren't giving up.
More than 30 searchers including divers and canine teams focused their latest effort in the community of Oakland, outside Waterville, in an area that includes woods, logging land and a small pond.
The search was prompted by further review of a tip police received early in the investigation, said Steve McCausland, Maine Department of Public Safety spokesman.
The search turned up animal bones, but nothing related to the case, said Lt. Kevin Adam of the Maine Warden Service.
But law enforcement remains committed to finding the toddler, McCausland said.
"We are as committed today as we were in December 2011," he told reporters as the search wound down.
Twenty-month-old Ayla Reynolds disappeared nearly two years ago from the Waterville home of her father, Justin DiPietro. He told police he last saw her when he put her to bed the night of Dec. 16. He reported her missing the following morning.
Her disappearance set off a massive search that eventually turned into the biggest criminal investigation in Maine history.
Police have said they believe Ayla is no longer alive, but there have been no charges.
Investigators have said they suspect foul play and that DiPietro and others in the house the night she disappeared haven't been totally forthcoming. DiPietro has said he has no idea what happened to his daughter or who is responsible.
Maine Warden Service officials will now work with detectives to determine which areas need to be searched next, Adam said.
McCausland said law enforcement officials at times get frustrated by their failure to find Ayla.
"But we think back to who we are working for, and that's little Ayla, and that rejuvenates everyone and we continue on," McCausland said.